Weaving a powerful and authentic purpose into your business is more important today than ever before, as the corporate world experiences revolutions in technology, accountability, and the workplace against a backdrop of pandemic and war.
Many of us are now at an inflection point, with the “old normal” firmly behind us, and the prospect of embracing the actions needed to shape our own destinies and be more resilient and resourceful. How do you come out re-energized and ready for success?
Have you ever felt like you have to compromise between making money and pursuing your passion in life?Maybe it's led you to make decisions that weren't in full alignment with you really are—the true essence of your soul. Maybe you feel stuck doing work that no longer lights you up or that you feel aligned with?I know how you feel; I have been there myself.
A decade ago when I graduated and was about to foray into the professional world, I was very clear on the end goal: social impact. Having grown up around the globe and been exposed to the circumstances of the developing world, I was always very aware of "the bottom billion."
When I first started working in marketing a decade ago, I was quickly thrown into the standard cookie-cutter ways that had been laid out in most business school textbooks. What always bothered me about the traditional marketing process was that it looked good on paper, but the more you began to execute, the more this process drives a wedge between the company and the customer. The customer becomes a number without much consideration to who they actually are and how they feel in relation to the brand. This never sat well with me. After all, I'm a consumer as much as I am a marketer, and making purchases from companies where I feel like a whole and valued person is important to me.
From my childhood through the early days of my career, one carrot always loomed clearly in the distance: money. Growing up, my family earned a modest income, so we always had to be extremely financially conscious with every decision. So after graduating college, I thrilled my grandmother when I snapped up a position as project manager for IBM Global Services and plunged myself into the "security" of a corporate job. I gave it all the dedication and passion I could, but every day I felt myself becoming more and more unfulfilled. Why? What did I have to complain about?